Announcing Manpreet Kaur - Bakersfield Intern

It is with great gratitude that I begin my seva as the Bakersfield Community Organizer Intern with Jakara.

I have called Bakersfield my home since my first breath. An offspring of the Central Valley, I am grateful to this community that has nurtured me into the individual I am today. It has been my greatest motivator and my strength for testing boundaries that have systematically attempted to hinder the progress of marginalized communities.

I consider it the utmost privilege to have had the opportunity to gain higher education outside of my hometown at UC San Diego. This allowed me to take thought‐provoking courses and thrive in challenging workplaces- all experiences that further motivated me in seeking out the utmost potential for the Bakersfield community as well as our greater Sikh community and how the two intersect. I am confident that my love for this community and my vision for its greatest potential will allow us to unite in fostering a movement that will create spaces for individuals of all ages to freely engage in challenging dialogue, without any societal barriers or restrictive stigmas.

Jakara is rooted in the strong sense of a healthy, informed, and organized community. It has set monumental precedence through each of its successful efforts in, allowing for spaces that engage in what our Sikh diasporic community has been missing. Jakara allows self‐empowerment through identity and working towards internalizing the value of solidarity as a community. I hope to work with you in further creating this in Bakersfield and bringing our community into the important platform that Jakara has built.